§ 81-320. Rules.
(a) Before adopting or substantially amending any rule, the executive board must notify all unit owners of: (i) its intention to adopt the proposed rule and (ii) a date on which the executive board will convene a meeting to receive comments on them from the unit owners.
(b) If the right is reserved in the declaration pursuant to § 81-302(a)(16) of this title, the association may adopt rules to establish and enforce construction and design criteria and aesthetic standards. If it does so, the association must also adopt procedures for enforcement of those standards and for approval of applications, including a reasonable time within which the association must act after an application is submitted. The association’s power under this section is subject to any reserved special declarant right to control any construction or design review process during the period of declarant control.
(c) A rule regulating display of the flag of the United States must be consistent with federal law and § 316 of this title, but the rule may not prohibit the right of a unit owner to display the flag of the United States, measuring up to 3 feet by 5 feet, on a pole located within the property’s boundaries or attached to the exterior wall of that unit owner’s unit or the limited common elements appurtenant to that unit. Unless the declaration otherwise provides, no rule may prohibit the display on a unit or on a limited common element adjoining a unit of a flag of this State, or signs regarding candidates for public office or ballot questions, but the association may adopt rules governing the time, place, size, number or manner of those displays. Unless the declaration provides otherwise during the first 2 years of the period of declarant control, no rule may prohibit the right of a unit owner to display a “For Sale” sign, measuring up to 12 inches by 18 inches (12″ x 18″), on the exterior wall of the unit owner’s unit or the limited common elements appurtenant to that unit. Unless the declaration provides otherwise, the “For Sale” sign shall be entitled “For Sale” and may contain such information as accurately describes the unit and any applicable names, addresses and phone numbers of the person or persons who are offering the unit for sale.
(d) Unless otherwise permitted by the declaration or this chapter, an association may only adopt rules that affect the use of or behavior in units that may be used for residential purposes to:
(1) Prevent any use of a unit which violates the declaration;
(2) Regulate any behavior in or occupancy of a unit which violates the declaration or adversely affects the use and enjoyment of other units or the common elements by other unit owners;
(3) Permit installation of a flagpole located within the property’s boundaries which does not exceed 25 feet in height and conforms to all setback requirements, for purposes of displaying the flag of the United States of America, provided such flag’s measurement does not exceed 3 feet by 5 feet; or
(4) Restrict the leasing of residential units to the extent those rules are reasonably designed to meet underwriting requirements of institutional lenders who regularly lend money secured by first mortgages on units in common interest communities or regularly purchase those mortgages.
(e) All rules adopted by the association must be reasonable.
(f) The executive board must maintain on a current basis for reference by unit owners’ tenants a complete statement of all rules.
(g) The unit owner shall obtain from the executive board and deliver to or otherwise make available to each tenant of the unit owner’s unit, at the time the lease is executed or, in the absence of a written lease when the tenancy begins, a current copy of the rules for the common interest community as furnished by the executive board and shall deliver to or otherwise make available to the tenant a copy of any additions or revisions to the rules as such additions or revisions are adopted and noticed to the unit owners by the executive board.
(h) A tenant shall be bound to comply with the noticed rules, and the unit owner leasing to the tenant shall take all lawful action against a tenant who materially violates the noticed rules.
(i) By entering into a lease for a unit, the unit owner of that unit irrevocably appoints the executive board as attorney-in-fact coupled with an interest to enforce the noticed rules against the tenant of that lease in the event that the unit owner shall fail, within a reasonable time after written demand by the executive board, to take what the executive board reasonably regards as adequate enforcement action against the tenant in material violation of noticed rules. In the event of enforcement action (including any summary action for possession at law or a petition for injunctive relief in equity) under this subsection, the tenant shall have no resort to any defense based upon lack of contractual privity with the executive board.
76 Del. Laws, c. 422, § 2; 77 Del. Laws, c. 91, § 82; 79 Del. Laws, c. 93, § 3;